Comparing accounts in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew

by peterdavis (student)

AS and A Level Religious Studies & Philosophy

Mark (4:35-41)

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Matthew (8:23-27)

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

As far as I observe, Mark tells more detail account than Matthew. In the context of Mark, the previous passages were the parables, and Jesus taught those parables not only to the disciples but also to the crowds who gathered around him near the lake (4:1-34). Then from that place, Jesus invited his disciples to move from the crowd. That time was evening and they left the crowd to go to the other side. And they encountered this terrified storm while they were in the board. However, in the account of Matthew, right after Jesus healed many, the passages talked about the cost of discipleship. And the calming of the storm is the continuation of that event. Both in the account of Mark and Mathew, the storm were so severe, and they were nearly drowned. Therefore, they woke Jesus up to rescue them. In Mark, the disciples addressed Jesus as teacher (Mk 4: 38), however in Matthew, the disciples addressed Jesus as Lord (Mt 8:25). In both Mark and Matthew, Jesus rebuked the wind and waves. Then, the wind was completely calm.

This is a preview of the whole essay

In Mark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” implying that you do not have yet faith. Probably, Jesus expects them to have faith in Him, but until this time, the disciples did not realize Jesus properly. As mentioned above, they saw him as teacher for they called Him as teacher (Mk 4:38). But in Mathew, Jesus said to this disciples, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” implying that the disciples have already a little faith in Him. Probably, the author developed the idea of the disciples that they have a little faith by that time. In Mark, the author mentioned the disciples’ condition as having no faith yet in Jesus unlike Mathew. In Mark, the disciples were terrified for what Jesus done for them implying that they didn’t understand whom they followed about. However, in Matthew the disciples were amazed for what Jesus has done for them. Here we see some progress in the way how the disciples see Jesus. They move from terrified into amazed yet so partial. They questioned the identity of Jesus. In Mark, they don’t have idea about Jesus as Lord, and they don’t totally have faith in him except as normal teacher, but according to Mathew, the disciples’ knowledge about Jesus was developed. They called Jesus as Lord, yet however it’s so partial since they have only a little faith in Him.

Mark (6:45-52)

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Matthew (14:22-33)

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Again, compared to Mark's somewhat grim ending (where he emphasizes again via narration just how blind the disciples were), the periscope ends positively: the disciples confess Jesus outright as "Son of God." In Mark, the only human character to ever use the title in relation to Jesus is the centurion who presides over the crucifixion at the end of the story, but in Matthew's narrative, the people around Jesus aren't that blind - in fact, the Matthean Jesus gets showered with the title every now and then. There is also the fact that Matthew has greater drama by this point: instead of merely noting that "the wind was against them" as Mark does, the boat, which is by now "a long way from the land," is said to be "beaten by the waves."